BEIJING — Jake Deitchler, the youngest U.S. Olympic wrestler in 32 years, was undone by rookie mistakes in his international debut.

The Ramsey native was aggressive, but his more veteran opponent — a 2006 World Championship runner-up —defeated him convincingly Wednesday.

“It hurts really bad,” the 18-year-old said afterward, his eyes still red from crying. “I’ve done everything I could to get ready, and definitely, it hurts.”

Deitchler, though, still has a chance to earn a bronze medal.

Greco-Roman wrestling provides a second chance for competitors whose opponent reaches the final, and Kyrgyzstan’s Kanatbek Begaliev obliged Deitchler by upsetting one of the gold-medal favorites, former world champion Nikolay Gergov of Bulgaria, to reach the gold-medal match.

“I have never rooted for anyone from Kyrgyzstan, but we are so happy he won,” said Jason Deitchler, Jake’s father. “It just gives Jake some hope.

“We’re so excited about his next match.”

On Tuesday, luck wasn’t on Deitchler’s side. He was placed in a bracket with two world champions and two world runners-up.

But he bounced into the arena before his first match, and he emphatically slapped hands with coach Brandon Paulson and then stepped onto the mat.

That excitement didn’t last long.

There are three three-minute periods in Greco-Roman matches, but Begaliev needed just three minutes and 24 seconds to dispatch Deitchler.

Despite working to prevent a troubling pattern from his performance at the U.S. Olympic trials, Deitchler once again started poorly and fell way behind in the opening period. Begaliev hip-tossed Deitchler for three points, then scored another three points with an arm throw.

That earned Begaliev the first period by a technical fall … in 24 seconds.

“He obviously got two nice throws in there and, the funny thing was, I wasn’t really worried, because I get beat in the first period every time anyway,” Deitchler said, referring to his trailing in all three matches at the U.S. Olympic trials. “It didn’t really bother me.”

In the second period, from the down position, Deitchler won a point for a defense, then scored two points for a front headlock turn. He was 13 seconds from winning the period and giving himself a chance to claim another remarkable comeback.

“I was right there,” Deitchler said. “It was close.”

But Deitchler made a tactical error.

“Stopped wrestling there for a little second,” he said.

Begaliev, who finished 11th at the 2004 Athens Olympics, got a one-point reversal, then immediately was awarded a two-point exposure, tying the score 3-3. And because Begaliev scored the final point, he won the period and the match.

“I should have been more defensive that last 10 seconds — been smart,” Deitchler said. “But I kind of left myself open.”

Added Paulson, “It’s a small mistake, but at the Olympics, you can’t make small mistakes.”

Afterward, Deitchler needed more than 20 minutes to regain his composure enough to speak to some reporters, including one from Japan.

“He’s hurting,” Paulson said shortly after the match.

“He came here expecting to win,” Paulson later added. “He didn’t come here to participate. He came here expecting to win.”

In a sport that doesn’t get much coverage, Deitchler has been a sensation. He has been featured in national publications such as Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and USA Today.

Deitchler went one and done a year ago, at the Junior World Championships, in the same venue, the China Agricultural University.

Asked if he made rookie mistakes, Deitchler said, “Yeah. I don’t know.”

“To tell you the truth,” he said after a pause, “I did everything to prepare. I worked really hard. So it hurts bad.”

Paulson conceded that inexperience may have been an issue for Deitchler, who clearly isn’t a passive wrestler.

“I tell you what. He’s going to work his (butt) off to get back here and win it, because that’s the kind of guy he is,” Paulson said.

Deitchler talked about what he learned from the loss, and he mentioned the future.

“I probably will try to start figuring out these international tournaments,” he said. “Next time, when London rolls around, I’ll be ready.”

But Deitchler won’t have to wait four years for the next Olympics; he can redeem himself in a few hours. The road to bronze, though, would not be easy. He would have to first beat Ukraine’s Armen Vardanyan, who finished fifth at the 2004 Athens Olympics and was a 2003 World Championship runner-up.

Then Deitchler would have to beat Gergov, who has finished first, third and seventh in the past three world championships.

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